the higher learning in america-第72章

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the　university　coalition　that　have　an　immediate　interest　in　point



of　scholarship；　　the　Collegiate　（〃Arts〃）　division　and　the



Graduate　School。　The　former　being　left　to　its　own　devices　and；　it



might　be　hoped；　being　purified　of　executive　megalomania；　it



should　seem　probable　that　something　of　a　reversion　would　take



effect；　in　the　direction　of　that　simpler　scheme　of　scholarship



that　prevailed　in　the　days　before　the　coming　of　electives。　It　was



in　the　introduction　of　electives；　and　presently　of　alternatives



and　highly　flexible　curricula；　that　the　move　first　set　in　which



carried　the　American　college　off　its　footing　as　a　school　of



probation　and　introduction　to　the　scholarly　life；　and　has　left　it



a　job…lot　of　ostensibly　conclusive　short…cuts　into　the　trades　and



professions。　It　need　not　follow　that　the　ancient　curriculum　would



be　re…established；　but　it　should　seem　reasonable　that　a　move



would　take　effect　in　the　direction　of　something　like　a　modern



equivalent。　The　Graduate　School；　on　the　other　hand；　having　lost



the　drag　of　the　collegiate　division　and　the　vocational　schools；



should　come　into　action　as　a　shelter　where　the　surviving　remnant



of　scholars　and　scientists　might　pursue　their　several　lines　of



adventure；　in　teaching　and　in　inquiry；　without　disturbance　to　or



from　the　worldly…wise　who　clamour　for　the　greater　glory。







　　　　Now；　all　this　speculation　as　to　what　might　happen　has；　of



course；　little　else　than　a　speculative　value。　It　is　not　intended；



seriously　and　as　a　practical　measure；　to　propose　the　abolition　of



the　president's　office；　or　of　the　governing　board；　nor　is　it



intended　to　intimate　that　the　captain　of　erudition　can　be



dispensed　with　in　fact。　He　is　too　dear　to　the　commercialized



popular　imagination；　and　he　fits　too　convincingly　into　the



businessmen's　preconceived　scheme　of　things；　to　permit　any　such



sanguine　hope　of　surcease　from　skilled　malpractice　and



malversation。　All　that　is　here　intended　to　he　said　is　nothing



more　than　the　obiter　dictum　that；　as　seen　from　the　point　of　view



of　the　higher　learning；　the　academic　executive　and　all　his　works



are　anathema；　and　should　be　discontinued　by　the　simple　expedient



of　wiping　him　off　the　slate；　and　that　the　governing　board；　in　so



far　as　it　presumes　to　exercise　any　other　than　vacantly



perfunctory　duties；　has　the　same　value　and　should　with　advantage



be　lost　in　the　same　shuffle。







NOTES：







1。　〃He　has　stifled　all　manly　independence　and　individuality



wherever　it　has　exhibited　itself　at　college。　All　noble　idealism；



and　all　the　graces　of　poetry　and　art　have　been　shrivelled　by　his



brutal　and　triumphant　power。　He　has　made　mechanical　efficiency



and　administrative　routine　the　goal　of　the　university's



endeavour。　The　nobler　ends　of　academic　life　will　never　be　served



so　long　as　this　spokesman　of　materialism　remains　in　power。〃



　　　　History　will　relate　that　one　of　the　eminent　captains；　through



an　incumbency　of　more　than　a　quarter　of　a　century；　in　a



university　of　eminent　wealth　and　volume；　has　followed　a　settled



policy　of　defeating　any　overt　move　looking　to　scientific　or



scholarly　inquiry　on　the　part　of　any　member　of　his　faculty。



Should　a　man　of　scholarly　proclivities　by　any　chance　sift　through



the　censorship　exercised　in　virtue　of　the　executive's　appointing



power；　as　might　happen；　since　the　captain　was　himself　not



qualified　to　pass　a　grounded　opinion　on　any　man's　qualifications



in　that　respect；　and　should　he　then　give　evidence　of　continuing



to　spend　time　and　thought　on　matters　of　that　nature；　his　burden



of　administrative　and　class…room　tasks　would　presently　be



increased　sufficiently　to　subdue　his　wayward　bent；　or；　in　an



incorrigible　case；　the　offender　against　the　rule　of　academic



sterility　would　eventually　be　retired　by　severance　of　his



connection　with　this　seat　of　learning。



　　　　In　some　sinister　sense　the　case　reflects　credit　on　the



American　academic　community　at　large；　in　that；　by　the　close　of



this　quarter…century　of　preventive　regimen；　the　resulting



academic　staff　had　become　a　byword　of　nugatory　intrigue　and



vacant　pedantry。







2。　So　far　has　this　predilection　made　its　way　in　the　counsels　of



the　〃educators〃　that　much　of　the　current　discussion　of



desideranda　in　academic　policy　reads　like　controversial　argument



on　〃efficiency　engineering；〃　　an　〃efficiency　engineer〃　is　an



accountant　competent　to　advise　business　concerns　how　best　to



increase　their　saleable　output　per　unit　of　cost。　And　there　has；



indeed；　been　at　least　one　tour　of　inspection　of　American



universities　by　such　an　〃efficiency　engineer；〃　undertaken　in　the



service　of　an　establishment　founded　with　a　view　to　academic



welfare　and　governed　by　a　board　of　university　presidents。　The



report　submitted　by　the　inquiry　in　question　duly　conforms　to　the



customary　lines　of　〃scientific　management。〃







3。　〃Education　is　the　one　kind　of　human　enterprise　that　can　not　be



brought　under　the　action　of　the　economic　law　of　supply　and



demand。　It　can　not　be　conducted　on　'business　principles。'　There



is　no　'demand'　for　education　in　the　economic　sense。。。。　Society　is



the　only　interest　that　can　be　said　to　demand　it；　and　society　must



supply　its　own　demand。　Those　who　found　educational　institutions



or　promote　educational　enterprise　put　themselves　in　the　place　of



society　and　assume　to　speak　and　act　for　society；　not　for　any



economic　interest。〃　　Lester　F。　Ward；　Pure　Sociology；　p。　575。







4。　Indeed；　the　resemblance　is　visible。　As　among　professional



politicians；　so　also　as　regards　incumbents　and　aspirants　for



academic　office；　it　is　not　at　all　unusual；　nor　does　it　cause



surprise；　to　find　such　persons　visibly　affected　with　those



characteristic　pathological　marks　that　come　of　what　is



conventionally　called　〃high　living〃　　late　hours；　unseasonable



vigils；　surfeit　of　victuals　and　drink；　the　fatigue　of　sedentary



ennui。　A　flabby　habit　of　body；　hypertrophy　of　the　abdomen；



varicose　veins；　particularly　of　the　facial　tissues；　a　blear　eye



and　a　colouration　suggestive　of　bile　and　apoplexy；　　when　this



unwholesome　bulk　is　duly　wrapped　in　a　conventionally　decorous



costume　it　is　accepted　rather　as　a　mark　of　weight　and



responsibility；　and　so　serves　to　distinguish　the　pillars　of



urbane　society。　Nor　should　it　be　imagined　that　these　grave　men　of



affairs　and　discretion　are　in　any　peculiar　degree　prone　to



excesses　of　the　table　or　to　nerve…shattering　bouts　of



dissipation。　The　exigencies　of　publicity；　however；　are；　by



current　use　and　wont；　such　as　to　enjoin　not　indulgence　in　such



excursions　of　sensual　perversity；　so　much　as　a　gentlemanly



conformity　to　a　large　routine　of　conspicuous　convivialities。



〃Indulgence〃　in　ostensibly　gluttonous　bouts　of　this　kind　



banquets；　dinners；　etc。　　is　not　so　much　a　matter　of　taste　as　of



astute　publicity；　designed　to　keep　the　celebrants　in　repute　among



a　laity　whose　simplest　and　most　assured　award　of　esteem　proceeds



on　evidence　of　wasteful　ability　to　pay。　But　the　pathological



consequences；　physical　and　otherwise；　are　of　much　the　same　nature



in　either　case。







5。　See　pp。　68…73；　79…81；　above。







6。　As　bearing　on　this　〃hired…man's　loyalty〃　of　the　academic　staff



and　the　means　of　maintaining　it；　see；　e。g。；　a　paper　by　George



Cram　Cook　in　the　Forum　for　October；　1913；　on　〃The　Third　American



Sex；〃　especially　pp。　450…455。







7。　Unfortunately；　the　language　wants　a　competent　designation　for



public…minded　personages　of　this　class；　which　comprises　something



appreciably　more　than　the　homiletical　university　executives